Anza: Experimenting With the Tee
After nearly a decade learning about the balance of function with fashion in skateboard apparel, Jason Bergman is experimenting with one of the core items in the skate/fashion mix—the T-shirt.
Bergman is president of San Clemente, Calif.–based men’s line Anza. Its first collection begins shipping to boutiques such as The Closet and X-Large on June 10.
The Anza T-shirt is two inches longer than the typical T-shirt. The longer shirt, partnered with the soft feel of the shirt’s Peruvian cotton, caters to the latest tastes in skateboarder fashion. Bergman contends that skateboarders pine for long T-shirts but also are seeking softer fabrics and slimmer silhouettes not found in the stiff material and boxy cuts in most long T-shirts.
Another experiment will be with the T-shirts’ shoulder seams. Anza’s line of “Braided” T-shirts features unique braids inspired by the work of early 20th century braiding machines. The label also will feature basic and premium T-shirts, all in a slim-cut silhouette.
All of the T-shirts will bear the Anza logo and graphics with a satiric angle. Wholesale price points range from $14 to $18 for T-shirts. For Holiday 2010, Anza will expand the line to jackets, woven shirts and fleece. By Spring 2011, it will offer denim pants.
Anza is a division of apparel licensing company American Marketing Group. Bergman started Anza after spending nine years at Ambiguous Industries, one of Orange County, Calif.’s fashion labels that started mixing skate and fashion influences in the late 1990s.
The skate/fashion audience is a self-perpetuating one, said Frank Delgadillo, founder of Ambiguous and 1-year-old skate/fashion line Comune.
“There’s always going to be that person between 15 and 24 years old who will be influenced by skateboarding and snow,” he said. “That scene always will be relevant.”
For more information on Anza, call (949) 498-7207 or visit www.anzaclothing.com.—Andrew Asch
